Indicating device applicable to vehicles.



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R. H. HUTCHINSON.

lNDlCATlNG DEVICE APPLICABLE TO VEHICLES.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 2, i912- ]Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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ROBERT HALLER HUTCI-IINSON, 0F LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

INDICATING DEVICE APPLICABLE TO VEHICLES.

manner.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 191%.

Application filed April 2, 1912. Serial No. 688,004.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HALLER HUTOHINSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in the Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicating Devices Applicable to Vehicles, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has for its subject an improved indicator applicable to motor road vehicles and the like, for the purpose of showing at the rear of the vehicle signals which may warn the drivers of following vehicles when a turn is about to be made to one side or other, or when the brakes are applied to check the vehicle or to stop it.

One object of the invention is to provide an indicator of this type having an improved arrangement of the mounting of the word or sign forming the signal Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following specification and from the claims at the end thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the inventionby way of example:Figure 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 is a cross section showing one form of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective of a portion of the sign showing the manner in which the translucent plate is held in place against accidental removal.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, it will be seen that 7 is the base or back portion of the instrument having an approximately semi-cylindrical portion 8 extending longitudinally at the top thereof, and an approximately semi-circular portion 9 at the bottom thereof. The casing formed with theparts 8 and 9 is hinged along its upper edge at 10, and held at the bottom by means of a suitable catch 11. Inside the casing two outwardly projecting walls 12 are arranged serving to carry a plate 6 on which the letters of the sign operated by the brake are cut as stencil letters. These letters form the words Slow-Up in the example shown, and this part of the sign will be hereinafter referred to for the sake of convenience as the slow-up sign. The stencil plate 6 is curved approximately to the curvature of the casing 8 and has its ends formed with curled lugs 6 which fit between corresponding lugs 12 on'the edges of the members 12, so that they can be held together by means of rods 35 passing through the lugs.* A translucent plate 36 of white or opal glass is held behind the stencil plate 6 as shown in order to show the letters clearly through the stencil slots. The edges of the plate 36 engage the lugs 6' and 12 and are held against accidental dlsplacement thereby; Two curved or segmental shutters 13 are provided fixed on shafts 14 which are geared together by pinions 15. Theseshutters normally meet over the front of the slow-up sign .and their edges are oppositely bent or stepped so that they will fit together. One of the shafts 14 has an arm 16 upon it which is normally drawn upward to keep the shutters closed by means of a spring 18 connected to an adjustable screw 19 for adjusting the tension. The shutters are opened as in Fig. 2 by means of a wire or rod 17 connected to the arm 16 and carried to the operating mechanism.

Electric lamps 20 are suitably supported inside the casing in order to illumine the slow-up sign at night, the circuits of these lamps including contact making devices which are only closed when the shutters 13 are opened so that current will not be wasted. For instance a couple of contact springs 21 arranged in different positions in the length of one of the shutters 13, may be adapted to press on opposite sides of the said shutter when it is opened as seen in Fig. 2 so that the circuit will be closed through the contact springs 21 and the said shutter 13. The electrical connections are not further illustrated as they will be sufficiently obvious. If there are two, three or more lamps 20 they will be arranged in parallel the circuits of all of them being closed simultaneously through the contact device 21. There will of course be another circuit breaker or, switch in the lamp circuits in order to cut off the current during the daytime.

The indicator pointer 23 may be operated in any suitable manner from the steering wheel or an operating mechanism actuated thereby, or from a hand operated mechanism. \Vires coming from such an operating mechanism through suitable guides such as Bowden tubes 31 may be passed over and attached to a pulley 30 mounted on a shaft 29 which drives the shaft 26 of the pointer 23 through oval gear wheels 28 and 27. These gear wheels are used to increase the amount of movement of the pointer for the firstpart ofits movement toward each side from the midposition. The oval gear wheels are not necessarily employed however and the pulley 30 may be mounted direct upon the shaft 26. A bracket 32 carries the shafts 26 and 29 and the terminal screws of the tubes 31, and it also carries inthe example shown a contact mechanism 33 by which the circuits of the electric lamps 34: are closed as the pointer 23 turns toward one side or other, only the lamp 3 being illuminated on that side toward which thepointer is moving. Such acontact device is shown more clearly in Fig. 3 which illustrates a construction in which the pulley 30 is mounted direct on the spindle 26 of the indicator pointer, and carries the contact arm 37 forming part of the circuit of the lamps 34c and moving over contact plates 38 included in the circuits of the respective lamps 34.

The .slow-up indicator in Figs. 1 and 2 is to be'operated in the first part of the movement of the brake pedal or brake lever, and to be kept open so long as the brakes are applied. It has been proposed already to use connections with springs in them to enable an indicator to be operated from a brake so that the indicator sign Will be exposed in the first part of the movement of the brake andwill remain open while the spring extends in the further movement of the brake. The wording of the slow-up sign might be varied and the letters thereof might be formed in a different manner.

I declare that what I claim is In an indicating device the combination with a casing provided with an opening in the front thereof, of a curved stencil plate supported in said casing and spaced from the rear of said casing, lugs formed upon the edge of said plate, supports carried by said casing, lugs formed upon said supports, rods passing through said lugs for locking said plate upon said supports, a translucent display plate fitting snugly in engagement with the rear face of said stencil plate the edges of said display plate engaging said lugs and being held against accidental displacement thereby.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of March, 1912, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT HALLER HUTGHINSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

